Developing Assistive Devices
Designing, developing and testing an odour sensor and wetness sensing smart underwear.
Work Packages
Click on a button on above to find out more about each Work Package.
Aims
To promote the confidence, improve the health and encourage social interactions of older people with urinary continence disability by producing services that warn the user when they need to attend the continence requirements.
Objectives
- To research and develop prototype odour detectors using a reversible colour change indicator and design input from users.
- To research and develop a 'smart fabric' prototype underwear for detecting leaks that encompasses user priorities.
- To clinically evaluate both prototype devices with older people with continence management problems.
Methods
Phase 1 - User focused design
Phase 2 - Design specification and prototyping
Phase 3 - Clinical evaluation
Progress to date
BioMed HTC, Bristol Urological Institute and University of the West of England
The role of the BioMed is in the testing and trialling of the assistive devices. To date, the BioMed has obtained ethical approval to conduct a clinical study in collaboration with UWE to aid the development of the odour detector. The BUI will also assist in obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals, and will carry out patient testing of the leakage detector.
The University of Manchester
Electronic testing is underway at the University of Manchester and promising results have been found. The system that is being developed is shown below. Underwear with an inbuilt sensor fabric detects a leak of urine from the pad. When the sensor is wetted, the system sends an SMS to the wearer/carer.
A new feature recently added to the electronics system is a vibrating alert that makes the electronics discretely vibrate when a pad leak is detected. There is the option for vibration mode to be switched on and off, or for a text message to be sent.
